Don’t allow hydrofracking, governor

March 13, 2013

We, the students of Saranac Lake High School, are concerned with regard to measures that some have undertaken to convince you to allow hydrofracking in New York state. It is very important to us that these efforts are not permitted to succeed. Hydrofracking is reckless and destructive, and those who seek its legalization are selfish and irresponsible.

Hydrofracking has serious consequences to New York state, both now and in the future. Studies show that it releases massive amounts of methane, one of the most hazardous greenhouse gases and causes dangerous pollution to our fresh water sources. Bill McKibben, activist and environmentalist, has written in depth on the consequences of fracking in several publications. Can we really risk ruining natural water resources? Risk even more coastal flooding, such as what happened during Hurricane Sandy? Destroy landscapes with fracking wells in an area known for its pristine beauty? ("Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale," by Tom Wilber, Cornell University Press, May 2012) We would ask that you place a ban on hydrofracking in New York state to keep our air safe to breathe, preserve our freshwater reserves and ensure that we do not become a state where earthquakes are commonplace. ("Human Triggered Earthquakes Surprisingly Common," by Emily Sohn, Discovery News, Aug. 6, 2012)

We appreciate the concern you expressed for the environment's well being in your State of the State address; now you have the opportunity to support those noble words with action. We hope that you choose to invest in cleaner, more environmentally friendly energy sources rather than wasting money and resources on hydrofracking or other practices that are harmful to the natural world. We are pleading with you to preserve our great state and put us on a path of sustainability for our generation and those to come. We ask that you make the moratorium an outright ban on hydrofracking in New York state, just as Gov. Shumlin has in Vermont.

Sincerely,

The Saranac Lake High School Environmental Club

Samantha Martin, president

Gina Fiorile, vice president

Kennedy Snyder, secretary

Grace Sullivan, treasurer

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Members of Saranac Lake High School in support of the anti-fracking letter: